A fairytale castle with its own ice cream parlour is on sale for the first time in its seven century history – with rumours and even Taylor Swift 'interested' in buying it.

Ripley Castle near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has hit the market for a casual £21million. At that price, the Castle could become the most expensive property ever sold in the UK outside of London, coming in at over 55 times the average in the posh spa town.

Mired in 700 years of history with links to gunpowder plot and frequented by the likes of Oliver Cromwell, the castle comes with 445 acres of land, a lake, a pub, helipad, car park and village shop - including an ice cream parlour, to name just a few features. Aristocrats Sir Thomas and Lady Emma Ingilby said it was time to "move on" from running the estate, addressing rumours the 47th President was interested in the property.

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Lady Emma Ingilby said rumours had swirled about Trump and even megastar Taylor Swift looking to make the castle their new home. "He's welcome," she told News. "There's a helipad, come and have a look."

She added: "My granddaughter's favourite [rumour] is . I love Taylor Swift so I'm actually very happy with this." The castle's history dates back to the 13th century after the estate was gifted to Sir Thomas Ingilby after allegedly saving the King from being gored by a wild boar on a hunting expedition.

Sir Thomas Ingilby said: "Everything comes to an end sooner or later. We have had the most wonderful fun here. We've always had a hit list of work that needs to be done to the castle to preserve it for the future. We achieved everything on that list, so it's time to move on."

The couple said they were planning to sell the estate to "do some travelling". "And we’ve got four grandchildren," Lady Emma added. "We’re likely to have some more – we’ve two family weddings this summer.

“I’d like to be able to spend time with our grandchildren. We were working seven days a week. It’s about having time. You suddenly realise, ‘we’re nearly 70’."

Whoever takes on the castle however will inherit a mammoth task of upkeep, with a whopping £2.5million spent on renovations in the last five years alone. Sir Thomas said: "The village and the castle are very different places from what they were when I took over.

“I look back at the early aerial photographs and it was like a scene from old – stuff falling down everywhere. You forget how much you’ve done.”

The castle also played a vital part in the notorious 1605 gunpowder plot, with nine of the 11 known conspirators in the plot having been close relations of the Ingilby family. It was later used in the 2017 drama of the plot, Gunpowder, starring and Liv Tyler.

Mark Granger, from estate agents Carter Jonas, said this was a "once-in-a-700-year opportunity" to purchase the property. He said: "Not just a once-in-lifetime chance, but truly a once-in-a-700-year opportunity to purchase an estate that encompasses historical significance, architectural splendour and beauty.

“The manageable estate is perfectly situated and features extensive parkland and lakes, forming an integral part of the village of Ripley. Even having known the estate for a long time, I remain consistently moved by its uniqueness.”